# Yech. What’s this in my (drinking) water? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084 "2017-07-12T13:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/1 "2017-07-12T13:07:01Z")
At work, I heat a pot of water each day to make pour-over coffee. After a few days, there’s always some floaties in it, so I pour it out, rinse, refill and repeat. Yesterday it looked like glass fibres dancing around in the pot. What’s going on here? How worried should I be? Is someone at the office trying to poison me? I’m using Fuquay-Varina’s tap water which ultimately comes from "… from the City of Raleigh, Harnett County and Johnston County”. Here is a quick video of yesterday’s occurrence. [IMG 2018 - YouTube](https://youtu.be/su4OPdKrgl4) ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/2 "2017-07-12T16:50:38Z")
Are you covering the pot between uses? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/3 "2017-07-12T17:31:17Z")
I’ve been [dipping my cat’s limbs in it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=828603) when you’re not around. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/4 "2017-07-12T18:14:48Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > I’ve been [dipping my cat’s limbs in it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=828603) when you’re not around. Oh, if it’s only cat hair, i can drink right past that 🙂 > [@Motorgirl](#): > > Are you covering the pot between uses? Indeed, it is covered. It’s difficult to tell from that video, but I’ve been using that pitcher with its factory-issued lid on it. As a fresh pot of water, it will sit there a day or two with out any signs of contamination. I’ll just keep adding enough water to get me through the day (in case i want a second cup) and into next morning. But after about 3-4 days, the floaties begin to show up. I turn the heat off about 14:00 and our comptroller turns it on about 07:00. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/5 "2017-07-12T21:19:24Z")
I have seen that before in my tea kettle; I think it is scale from the water. My guess is that you have hard water and the carbonate is precipitating out as you heat it. Maybe a chemist can chime in, but this is my guess. I, like you, dumped it out and got fresh water. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/6 "2017-07-12T21:31:55Z")
It’s probably [Morgellons](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Morgellons_disease)from all the chemtrails. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/7 "2017-07-13T17:30:44Z")
Thanks for the useful link, **snfaulkner**. I hadn’t thought of Morgellons. That’s primarily because I didn’t know about it. However, we are near Ft. Bragg so we have an abundance of [del]chemtrails[/del] overflying aircraft. I’ll make note of how much yarn is on the counter next time I make a pitcher of hot water 🙂 To take this in a \*slightly \*more logical direction, Today I microwaved a (different) vessel containing \>500ml of tap water to the boiling point and didn’t find any floaties. From this, and my gut feeling, the acts of evaporation and concentration seems to be playing a part with the water’s \*behavior \*in that coffee pot. I think **Happy Fun Ball** is on to something. I hope to hear more about this. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/8 "2017-07-16T01:07:25Z")
Just a friendly bump for the weekend crowd. I don’t want you guys to miss out on the _fun_. [I uploaded a new video.](https://youtu.be/KMRsiwswfhQ) There’s not much different but at least it’s not shot in portrait orientation. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/9 "2017-07-16T02:55:27Z")
I agree with **Happy Fun Ball** , it’s (most likely) calcium carbonate precipitating out. Heating the water drives off dissolved CO2, which raises the pH, which decreases the solubility of Calcium Carbonate, so it precipitates out. It is harmless in these quantities, so you really shouldn’t be worried. If you allow it to build up, you will get a scale to form on the pot, but rinsing it out daily should keep any buildup down. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/10 "2017-07-17T19:14:06Z")
It just keeps getting better. [Now it appears something is \*alive \*in there](https://youtu.be/wXZGkg-onQA). Sure, calcium carbonate crystals seem pretty harmless but this… this… is this something else? Disclaimer: I don’t think it’s actually alive and swimming. In the interest of science I haven’t changed the water since Wednesday of last week. It wasn’t warmed over the weekend, but it was hot when I got here this morning. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yech-what-s-this-in-my-drinking-water/791084/11 "2017-07-17T19:26:24Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > It just keeps getting better. [Now it appears something is \*alive \*in there](https://youtu.be/wXZGkg-onQA). Sure, calcium carbonate crystals seem pretty harmless but this… Looks like perfectly normal movement of water on a heat source, unless I’m missing something. It’s just natural convection.